SAT OwlQuestion bank / Central Ideas and Details
The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the driest places on Earth, yet some of its coastal hills support patches of plant life. These plants survive by capturing moisture from camanchaca, a dense fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean. Fine hairs on the leaves of certain species collect droplets from the fog, and the water then runs down to the roots. Local communities have copied this strategy, stretching mesh nets across hillsides to harvest fog water for drinking and farming.
According to the text, how do some plants in the Atacama Desert obtain water?
By drawing water from streams that flow deep underground
By storing rainwater during the region's rainy season
By collecting droplets from fog on hairs on their leaves
By absorbing water collected in mesh nets placed by local communities
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The text states that "fine hairs on the leaves of certain species collect droplets from the fog," and the water then reaches the roots. That is choice C. The text never mentions underground streams or a rainy season.
Choice D mixes up two details: the mesh nets are a human copy of the plants' strategy, and they supply water to people, not to the plants.
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